Professional tax preparation saves time and aggravation – and even money!

For a lot of people, filling out their annual income tax return is a chore that lands somewhere between “irritant” and “torture.” Having your return prepared by a professional could save you a nice pile of cash. But even if it doesn’t, it will save you time and aggravation.

“A lot of people are capable of doing it. But they don’t have the time, or they hit a snag, or maybe it’s just not their thing,” says Chad Rimell of Liberty Tax in Vernon. A visit to Chad can free up your time for more pleasant things.

“Most people are in and out of here in half an hour or less,” he says.

Chad and Janelle Kwan opened their business four years ago, one of more than 300 Liberty Tax franchises across Canada. Chad says having your return prepared by a professional has the potential to save you some money.

“There’s a lot of tax credits and other little things we know about,” he said.

One good example is completion credits for apprenticeships. People are eligible for refundable tax credits for each year of an apprenticeship they complete – “it’s quite lucrative,” Chad said. “And it’s something that a lot of tradespeople don’t know about.”

He said there are also people who qualify for disability tax credit, but don’t know it exists.

This time of year is naturally the busiest for Liberty Tax, but they offer year-round service – small business taxes, corporate taxes, GST filings, WorkSafe BC filings, and bookkeeping are among their services.

To get started on a straightforward personal income tax return, you just need to show up with picture identification and whatever income slips you have. “If you’re missing some documents, we can usually retrieve them quite easily from the Canada Revenue Agency website,” Chad says.

“We serve everyone from students to young families, business owners, retirees, the occasional person who’s from abroad. It’s pretty full-spectrum – we will minimize your tax burden and ensure that you get the best result.”